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(I'm a) Road Runner

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Wikipedia article


{{Infobox song

| name = (I'm a) Road Runner

| cover = Jr walker road runner.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Junior Walker & the Allstars

| album = Road Runner

| B-side = Shoot Your Shot

| released = 1966

| recorded = 1965

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

| length = 2:49

| label = Tamla Motown

| writer = HollandDozierHolland

| producer =

| prev_title = Cleo's Back

| prev_year = 1966

| next_title = Cleo's Mood

| next_year = 1966

| misc =

}}

"'(I'm a) Road Runner'" is a hit song by Junior Walker & the Allstars, and was the title track of the successful 1966 album 'Road Runner'. Written by the team of HollandDozierHolland, it was released on the Tamla (Motown) label in 1966 and reached the top twenty in the U.S. and the UK.[http://www.allmusic.com/album/shotgun-r21415 AllMusic.com][http://www.hollanddozierholland.com/ HDH Records]

Background



Walker plays the distinctive tenor saxophone solo, backed by Mike Terry on baritone saxophone with Willie Woods on guitar. During the recording, it was discovered that Walker could play the song in only two keys. So Walker sang in a key that he could not play, and after being recorded, the saxophone track was sped up to match.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3ttjLjlsJBNC7b6JnzLw6d5/brians-weekly-sleevenotes Brian's Weekly Sleevenotes] from BBC Radio 2's "Sounds of the Sixties" broadcast 5 July 2014.

The pictorial single sleeve used a running bird similar to the Road Runner cartoon character.

Personnel



' Junior Walker & the Allstars'

*Junior Walker tenor saxophone solo, vocals

*Willie Woods guitar

*Victor Thomas organ

*James Graves drums

'Additional personnel'

*Johnny Dawson tambourine

*The Funk Brothers other instrumentationThe Complete Motown Singles Vol. 6: 1966 [liner notes]. New York: Hip-O Select/Motown/Universal Records

**Johnny Griffith piano

**James Jamerson bass

**Joe Messina guitar

**Norris Patterson tenor saxophone

**Mike Terry baritone saxophone

**Eddie Willis guitar

Chart history



Later versions



* British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac recorded the song with Dave Walker on lead vocals for their 1973 album 'Penguin'.

* The Jerry Garcia Band performed a version of the song in 1975, which was featured on 'The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 2: Let It Rock'.

* James Taylor performed his version, in September 1976, in episode 1, season 2 of 'Saturday Night Live'. Taylor also included the song on his 2008 album 'Covers'.

* Steve Gaines from Lynyrd Skynyrd performed the song with his own band, Crawdad, in the mid 1970s. A recording of them performing it was released on Gaines's 2001 live compilation CD, 'Okie Special'.

* Peter Frampton included the song on his 1977 album 'I'm in You'.

* Publishing rights organization BMI had songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland credited with co-writing Steve Winwood's 1988 song "Roll with It" due to its resemblance to "(I'm a) Roadrunner".

References




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